Part 1 (1/2)
Abyss.
by Troy Denning.
For my niece Jennifer Jane Denning The smile behind Allana's
Acknowledgments
Many people contributed to this book in ways large and small. I would like to thank them all, especially the following: Andria Hayday for her support, critiques, and suggestions; James Luceno, Leland Chee, Pablo Hidalgo, Keith Clayton, Christine Cabello, Scott Shannon, Frank Parisi, and Carol Roeder for their fine contributions during our brainstorming sessions; Sh.e.l.ly Shapiro and Sue Rostoni for everything everything, from their remarkable patience to their insightful markups to their great ideas; to my fellow Fate of the Jedi writers, Aaron Allston and Christie Golden, for being such a blast to work with and for their myriad other contributions to this book and the series; to all of the people at Lucasfilm and Del Rey who make writing Star Wars Star Wars so much fun; and, finally, to George Lucas for sharing his galaxy with us all. so much fun; and, finally, to George Lucas for sharing his galaxy with us all.
Dramatis Personae
Ahri Raas; Sith apprentice (Kes.h.i.+ri male)Ben Skywalker; Jedi Knight (human male)Han Solo; Captain, Millennium Falcon Millennium Falcon (human male) (human male)Jagged Fel; Head of State, Galactic Empire (human male)Jaina Solo; Jedi Knight (human female)Leia Organa Solo; Jedi Knight (human female)Luke Skywalker; Jedi Grand Master (human male)Olaris Rhea; Sith Lord (human female)Vestara Khai; Sith appentice (human female)Yuvar Xal; Sith Master (human male)
In a galaxy long, long ago ...
BURIED DEEP INSIDE THE J JEDI T TEMPLE ON C CORUSCANT WAS THE Asylum Block, a transparisteel cube standing in its own hidden atrium, bathed in artificial blue light and surrounded by tidy rows of potted olbio trees. Peering up through the leaves to a second-story wall, Leia Solo could see Seff h.e.l.lin kneeling in his cell. He was in the near corner, staring at his b.l.o.o.d.y knuckles as though surprised that hours of hammering at a fusion-welded seam might actually have damaged them. In the adjacent cell, Natua Wan was endlessly scratching at her door lock, trying to slip her splintered talons into a magnetic seal that a nanoscalpel could not have breached. Asylum Block, a transparisteel cube standing in its own hidden atrium, bathed in artificial blue light and surrounded by tidy rows of potted olbio trees. Peering up through the leaves to a second-story wall, Leia Solo could see Seff h.e.l.lin kneeling in his cell. He was in the near corner, staring at his b.l.o.o.d.y knuckles as though surprised that hours of hammering at a fusion-welded seam might actually have damaged them. In the adjacent cell, Natua Wan was endlessly scratching at her door lock, trying to slip her splintered talons into a magnetic seal that a nanoscalpel could not have breached.
Seeing the pair in such a state made Leia's heart ache. It also terrified her, for both of Corran Horn's children had fallen victim to the same condition. Now, with Temple scientists no closer to identifying a cause, she was beginning to fear that this strange insanity might claim an entire generation of Jedi Knights. And that was something she would not allow-not when every new case reminded her of how confused and helpless she had felt losing Jacen to the madness of the Sith.
The golden outline of an access portal appeared in the invisible barrier field that enclosed the atrium. With Han and C-3PO following behind, Leia stepped into the leafy-smelling interior. She was not surprised to feel a subtle pang of loss and isolation. The olbio trees were filled with ysalamiri, small white reptiles that hid from predators by creating voids in the Force. The adaptation was an invaluable tool for anyone who wished to incarcerate rogue Force-users-and all too often lately, that included the Jedi themselves.
As the portal crackled shut behind them, Han leaned close and warmed Leia's ear with a whisper. ”I don't think cutting them off from the Force is helping. They look crazier than ever.”
”Seff and Natua are not crazy,” Leia reprimanded. ”They're ill, and they need our understanding.”
”Hey, n.o.body understands crazy better than me.” Han gave her arm a rea.s.suring squeeze. ”People are always always calling me crazy.” calling me crazy.”
”Captain Solo is quite right,” C-3PO agreed. The golden protocol droid was standing close behind the Solos, his metallic breastplate pressing cold against Leia's left shoulder. ”During our a.s.sociation, Captain Solo's sanity has been questioned an average of three times per month. By the psychiatric care standards of many conformist societies, that fact alone would qualify him for a cell in the Asylum Block.”
Han shot a frown back at the droid, then turned to Leia with his best smirk of rea.s.surance. ”You see? I'm probably the only one in the whole Temple who receives on their channel.”
”I wouldn't doubt that,” Leia said. She gave him a wry smile, then patted the hand grasping her arm. ”All joking aside, I just wish you really did did know what's going on with them.” know what's going on with them.”
Now it was Han who grew serious. ”Yeah. Seeing 'em slip away like this brings bad memories. Really Really bad memories.” bad memories.”
”It does,” Leia acknowledged. ”But it's not the same thing. By the time anyone realized what was going on with Jacen, he was running running the Galactic Alliance.” the Galactic Alliance.”
”Yeah, and we were the enemy,” Han agreed. ”I just wish we could have stuck Jacen in a deten-”
”We would would have, had there been some way to take him alive,” Leia interrupted. They didn't turn down this lane often, but when they did, it devastated her, and she couldn't let herself be devastated now. ”Let's just focus on the Jedi we have, had there been some way to take him alive,” Leia interrupted. They didn't turn down this lane often, but when they did, it devastated her, and she couldn't let herself be devastated now. ”Let's just focus on the Jedi we can can save.” save.”
Han nodded. ”Count me in. I don't need anybody else's family getting caught in the kind of plasma blast we did.”
Han was still speaking when Master Cilghal and her a.s.sistant Tekli appeared, walking between two rows of potted olbios. In their white medical robes, the pair made a somber impression: Cilghal a long-headed Mon Calamari with sad bulbous eyes, Tekli a diminutive Chadra-Fan with her flap-like ears pulled tight against her head fur.
Cilghal extended a web-fingered hand first to Leia, then to Han, and spoke in her rippling Mon Calamari voice. ”Jedi Solo, Captain Solo, thank you for coming. I trust you were able to find someone to watch Amelia on such short notice?”
”No problem,” Han said. ”Barv's keeping an eye on her.”
”Barv?” Tekli squeaked. ”As in, Bazel Warv?”
”Yeah, Amelia just loves the big guy.” Han smiled. ”I'm beginning to think that girl's going to marry a Ramoan when she grows up.”
The glance that Tekli shot up at Cilghal was almost imperceptible, as was the answering dip from the Mon Calamari's near eye-but not quick enough to escape the notice of a former diplomat.
”Is that a problem?” Leia asked. ”Barv has always been very good with her.”
”I truly doubt there's anything to worry about,” Cilghal said. ”It's just that the only link we've been able to establish among patients is one of a.s.sociation.”
”What kind of a.s.sociation?” Han asked.
”Age and location,” Tekli supplied. ”All four victims were among the students hidden in Shelter.”
Leia nodded. Shelter was the secret base where the Jedi had sequestered their young during the last part of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Located deep inside the Maw cl.u.s.ter of black holes and cobbled together from the remnants of an abandoned weapons lab, it had been a gloomy place to care for young Jedi-and now, it appeared, perhaps a dangerous one.
”Are you thinking environmental toxins?” Leia asked.
”We decontaminated the place pretty well,” Han added. ”But I suppose we could have missed something. The Imperials were making some strange stuff there.”
Cilghal spread her hands. ”It's impossible to say. At the moment, all we have is a simple observation.” She lowered an admonis.h.i.+ng eye toward her a.s.sistant. ”The sample is too small to establish a statistical correlation.”
”True, but it's the only firm link we have,” Tekli countered. ”And whether it's causative or not, Bazel does does a.s.sociate closely with both Valin and Jysella.” a.s.sociate closely with both Valin and Jysella.”
”Yeah, along with Yaqeel Saav'etu,” Han said. ”I've heard Barv call the four of them 'the Unit.'”
Leia raised a brow. ”Did this Unit include Seff?” She glanced up and saw that Seff was still staring at his hands; in the adjacent cell, Natua continued to worry at her lock. ”Or Natua?”
”Not that I ever heard,” Han said.
Tekli confirmed this with a shake of her golden-furred head.
”You see?” Cilghal asked. ”There are plenty of facts and connections, but which are significant? Are any?”
”If anyone can sort it out, it's you,” Leia said. ”In the meantime, there's nothing wrong with being careful.”
”Of course not,” Cilghal said. ”So if you'd rather return to Amelia right away-”
”No, I don't think that will be necessary,” Leia interrupted. ”Artoo-Detoo is there, and he has standing orders to contact us if anything starts to look out of the ordinary. And we're very eager to help you.”
”Yeah.” Han glanced toward the cell block. ”Judging by the looks of those two up there, you need it.”